Deacons Travel To NY Saturday To Face St. John's
12/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2001
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#20 Wake Forest (8-2) at St. John's (7-2)
Game #11 - Dec. 22, 2001 Madison Square Garden (19,786) New York, NY
Tip-Off: 12:05 p.m.
Television: ESPN. Dave Sims (play-by-play) and Len Elmore (color analysis) call the action. Bo Garrett is the producer.
Radio: The Deacon Radio Network, distributed by ISP. Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action.
The Records: Wake Forest is 8-2 after an 89-60 victory over visiting St. Francis (PA) Wednesday night. St. John's is 7-2 including Thursday night's victory against visiting St. Francis (NY).
The Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked 20th in the Associated Press poll and 20th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. St. John's is not ranked.
WFU Coach Skip Prosser: Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy '72) is 8-2 in his first season at Wake Forest. In nine years overall as a head coach, including one season at Loyola (MD) and seven seasons at Xavier, Prosser has a career record of 173-80.
St. John's Coach Mike Jarvis: Jarvis (Northeastern '68) is 74-34 in four seasons with the Red Storm, 327-175 in 17 seasons overall.
The Series History: Series tied, 1-1. More series information on page two.
The Officials: Announced on game day.
Deacons Return To Madison Square Garden To Face St. John's
Wake Forest, 8-2 and riding a three-game winning streak, travels to New York Saturday to face St. John's in the Deacons' final game before Christmas break (12:05 p.m./ESPN). The 20th-ranked Deacons, coming off an 89-60 win over visiting St. Francis (PA) Wednesday night, will be playing their third game of the season in Madison Square Garden. Wake beat No. 23 Fresno State (62-61) Nov. 21 before losing to No. 18 Syracuse (74-67) Nov. 23 at The Garden in the semifinals and finals of the Preseason NIT. Junior Josh Howard scored 17 of his game-high 21 points to lead Wake Forest in Wednesday's win over St. Francis. The Deacons scored the game's first 17 points and shot 56.3 percent from the field. St. John's, 7-2, defeated St. Francis (NY) Thursday night for its sixth win in seven games. The Red Storm's two losses came against Gonzaga and Manhattan. Saturday's game is just the third meeting between the two teams (the series is tied 1-1) and the first meeting since a 72-65 St. John's win over the Deacons in Madison Square Garden on Dec. 29, 1982. Wake streaks heading into Saturday: - Wake Forest has won four of its last six games played in Madison Square Garden. - The Deacons are 8-0 this season against unranked teams. - Wake Forest has won 17 of its last 20 regular season non-conference games, including four of its last six road games.
A Quick Look At The Deacons
Wake Forest has won three consecutive games by an average of 30.0 points per contest -- 115-75 vs. SC State (Dec. 7), 93-72 vs. Florida State (Dec. 16) and 89-60 vs. St. Francis (Wednesday). The Demon Deacons, 8-2 overall and 1-0 in the ACC, like an up-tempo game. Wake averages 82.9 points per contest, including an average of 99.0 points over the last three games. The Deacons have shot better than 50 percent from the field over the last three games and they have out-rebounded opponents in eight out of 10 games. Senior Darius Songaila (18.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game), emerging as a prime candidate for All-ACC honors, has been on fire recently. Over the last three games, Songaila has averaged 23.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Senior Antwan Scott (12.5 ppg., 5.4 rpg.) may be the ACC's most improved player. Scott is shooting 61.3 percent from the field, he ranks among the ACC leaders in blocked shots (21) and he has 30 dunks this season. Junior Josh Howard (13.0 ppg., 7.3 rpg.) is coming off a 21-point effort Wednesday against St. Francis. Senior Craig Dawson (11.2 ppg.) leads the team with 27 three-point field goals. Senior Broderick Hicks (8.6 ppg., 4.0 apg.), who matched a career high with eight assists Wednesday, starts at the point guard position. Freshman Vytas Danelius (6.6 ppg.) has provided instant offense off the bench. Senior guard Ervin Murray doesn't score too often (1.9 ppg.) but he leads all non-starters in minutes played (15.7 mpg.). Freshman Jamaal Levy came off the bench for a career-high 15 points Sunday night and junior Steve Lepore came off the bench to make three three-point field goals and score 11 points Wednesday night.
Wake Forest Whips St. Francis, 89-60, In Most Recent Outing
Junior Josh Howard scored 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting and Wake Forest scored the game's first 17 points on the way to an 89-60 win over visiting St. Francis (PA) Wednesday night. The Demon Deacons, 8-2, shot 56.3 percent from the field, out-rebounded St. Francis 38-29 and forced 19 Red Flash turnovers. Senior Darius Songaila scored 16 points, senior Antwan Scott 12 points and junior reserve Steve Lepore 11 points for Wake Forest. Senior Broderick Hicks matched a career-high with eight assists in just 20 minutes of action. After trailing 17-0, St. Francis pulled to within 23-18, but would never threaten. More from Wednesday's win over St. Francis: - Hicks' eight assists were the most by a Deacon player in any game this season. - Wake Forest tied a season-high with 36 field goals made. - St. Francis' 60 points were the fewest by a Deacon opponent this season. The Deacons also allowed season-lows for field goals (19) and field goal attempts (51). - The Wake Forest bench combined for 28 points.
Deacon Streaks - The Deacons have a six-game homecourt winning streak with a perfect 6-0 record this season. Wake has wins over UNC-Wilmington, Elon, Minnesota, SC State, Florida State and St. Francis (PA). The Deacs' final two home games last season were losses to Final Four-bound Duke and Maryland. - Wake Forest has won 21 consecutive non-conference home games. Wake's last non-conference loss at home came against 19th-ranked Arkansas on Dec. 23, 1998. - Wake Forest has won four of its last five road games. - Wake Forest has made at least one three-point field goal in 265 consecutive games. - The Deacons are 4-0 this season in games decided by five points or less. - Wake Forest is 5-0 when scoring 80 points or more. - The Deacons have shot better than 50 percent from the field in three straight games. - Wake has used the same starting lineup -- Broderick Hicks, Craig Dawson, Antwan Scott, Darius Songaila and Josh Howard -- in all 10 games. - Songaila has scored in double figures in 11 straight games dating back to last season. - Dawson has made at least one three-point field goal in every game this season. Throw out the game against Maryland in last year's ACC Tournament when Dawson played just one minute before getting injured, he has made at least one three-pointer in 21 straight games.
Wake-St. John's Series History
- The series is tied, 1-1. - Saturday's game will mark the third meeting between the two teams with all three meetings coming in New York. - The Deacons and Red Storm will meet for the first time since Dec. 29, 1982 when St. John's beat WFU 72-65 at the ECAC Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. - The first meeting between the two teams was a 97-74 Wake Forest victory in New York in the first round of the 1961 NCAA Tournament. - Saturday's game will be Wake's second game against a Big East opponent this season and its third game in Madison Square Garden. The Deacons fell to the Big East's Syracuse in the championship game of the Preseason NIT. Two nights earlier, also in The Garden, the Deacons beat Fresno State, 62-61. - Wake Forest is 38-44 all-time against teams from the Big East including the loss to Syracuse earlier this season. - Wake's Skip Prosser has never coached against St. John's. The Red Storm's Mike Jarvis has never coached against Wake Forest.
Deacons Getting Familiar With Madison Square Garden
Wake Forest will play its third game of the young season at Madison Square Garden Saturday when the Deacons take on St. John's (ESPN/12:05 p.m.). The Deacons are 1-1 at The Garden this year with a 62-61 win over No. 23 Fresno State (Nov. 21) and a loss to No. 18 Syracuse 74-67 (Nov. 23) in the Preseason NIT. More on Wake at Madison Square Garden: - The Deacons claimed the 2000 postseason NIT at The Garden with wins over NC State and Notre Dame. - Wake Forest opened the 1998-99 season at Madison Square Garden in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. The Deacons beat Illinois in the first round before losing to seventh-ranked Temple in the championship game. - Deacon coach Skip Prosser led Xavier to the postseason NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden in 1999. Prosser's Musketeers lost to Clemson in the semifinals, then beat Oregon in the consolation game.
Strange But True
- Wake Forest has played 10 games this season, yet the game against St. John's will be Wake's first game played on Saturday. - The Deacons enter the game against the Red Storm after a win over the Red Flash (St. Francis, PA). - Both Wake Forest and St. John's are coming off games against teams named St. Francis. The Deacons played St. Francis (PA) Wednesday while the Red Storm played St. Francis (NY) Thursday. - Wake Forest has played just one ACC game this season, but the Deacons will play their second Big East opponent of the season on Saturday. - Wake's next two games -- at St. John's and vs. Marquette -- come against schools that have recently changed nicknames. Marquette switched from Warriors to Golden Eagles and St. John's from Redmen to Red Storm.
Songaila Named ACC Player Of The Week, Levy ACC Rookie Of The Week
Wake Forest senior Darius Songaila was named the ACC co-Player of the Week on Monday following his career-high 29 points against Florida State Sunday night. Songaila, who has won the award once previously in his career, added five assists and three steals in the win over the Seminoles. Freshman Jamaal Levy, who came off the bench for a career-best 15 points, was named the ACC Rookie of the Week. Levy added seven rebounds and was 2-of-3 from three-point range against Florida State.
Songaila Gaining Reputation As Clutch Performer
Senior Darius Songaila has made the game-winning shot in two games this season decided by one point. Songaila hit a lay-up with 2.7 seconds remaining to lift Wake Forest to a 79-78 win over UNC-Wilmington in the season opener. Nov. 21 against Fresno State, Songaila's follow tip with 1.7 seconds left gave the Deacons a 62-61 win over the Bulldogs in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden.
WFMY's Greg Kerr Wins Shootout
Greg Kerr, sports anchor at WFMY-TV, swished five three-pointers in 30 seconds to win the second annual Wake Forest Media Halftime Shootout Wednesday night. Kerr easily defeated Rock 92's Chris Dimm in the finals.
Wake Back On ESPN
Wake Forest will make its fifth of 10 regular season appearances on ESPN (or ESPN2) Saturday against St. John's. The Deacons are 3-1 on ESPN or ESPN2 this season.
Deacs Put Up Impressive Numbers In Three-Game Win Streak
Since an 83-76 loss at No. 4-ranked Kansas on Dec. 4, Wake Forest has posted some lofty numbers during a three-game winning streak. Wake's last three games have included wins over SC State (115-75), Florida State (93-72) and St. Francis (89-60). The three-game win streak has seen Wake Forest win by an average of 30 points per game, average 99.0 points per contest, shoot 56.7 percent from the floor and out-rebound opponents by nearly nine boards per game.
Wake Over The Last 3 Games
Category WFU OPP Record 3-0 0-3 Scoring Average 99.0 69.0 Rebound Average 41.0 32.3 Field Goal Percentage 56.7 40.8 3-Point Field Goal Percentage 41.8 34.0 Free Throw Percentage 72.1 62.5 Assists Average 19.0 12.0 Turnovers Average 15.0 18.7 Blocks Average 6.0 3.0
Quickie Stats
- After shooting 56.3 percent from the field in Wednesday's win over St. Francis, Wake Forest now leads the ACC in field goal percentage (.484). - Wake Forest ranks 24th nationally in scoring offense (82.9 points per game). - There are eight undefeated Division I teams remaining. Three -- Marquette, Duke and Virginia -- are on the Wake Forest schedule.
Darius Songaila Enjoying An All-ACC-Type Season So Far
Perhaps senior Darius Songaila is motivated because he was left off the preseason All-ACC team, or maybe he's flourishing in coach Skip Prosser's system. Regardless, Songaila is enjoying his finest season as a Deacon. Over his last three games, Songaila has averaged 23.3 points and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 63.2 percent from the floor and 87.0 percent from the free throw line. More on Songaila: - He leads the team and ranks fourth in the ACC in scoring (18.3 points per game). - His scoring average is the highest by a Wake Forest player since Tim Duncan averaged 20.8 points as a senior in 1997. - Songaila is the only Deacon to score in double figures in every game this season. He has scored in double figures 83 times in his career. - He ranks seventh in the ACC in free throw percentage (.806) and he has shot 89.7 percent (35-of-39) from the line over the last five games combined. - His career free throw percentage (.817) is the eighth-highest in Wake Forest history. - Songaila is tied for the team lead (with Josh Howard) and ranks ninth in the ACC in rebounding (7.3 rpg.). - He ranks 19th in Wake Forest history with 610 career rebounds. - Twice over his last three games Songaila has tied a career high with five assists. - He ranks ninth in Wake Forest history with 77 career blocked shots. - He has played in 106 career games and has started 96 times. - Songaila has four double-doubles this season and he owns 13 career double-doubles. - He ranks 11th in the ACC in field goal percentage (.553). - He ranks 17th in Wake Forest career scoring history with 1,435 points. He will pass Alvis Rogers (1,441 points from 1979-83) for 16th place with seven more points. - Songaila is just the 11th player in Wake history with 1,400 points and 600 rebounds. - Only seven players in school history have made more free throws than Songaila (436). - He has scored 20 or more points in a game 14 times, including four times this season. - Songaila was named to the Preseason NIT All-Tournament team after his performances against Fresno State and Syracuse.
Where Songaila Ranks In The ACC
Scoring 4th (18.3) Free Throw Percentage 7th (.806) Rebounding 9th (7.3) Field Goal Percentage 11th (.553) Offensive Rebounds 11th (2.40)
Josh Howard Ranks Among The ACC Leaders In Four Categories
Junior Josh Howard's statistics demonstrate just how versatile he can be: - He ranks 15th in the ACC in scoring (13.0 points per game). - Howard ranks ninth in the ACC in rebounding (7.3 rpg.). - He ranks second in the ACC in offensive rebounds per game (3.60). - He ranks 10th in the ACC in field goal percentage (.544). - He is 11th in the ACC in steals (1.70 spg.). - He has scored in double figures six times and has one double-double.
Scott One Of The ACC's Most Improved Players
Senior Antwan Scott, in his first year as a starter, is making the most of his senior season. He has nearly doubled his statistics from a year ago, easily making him one of the ACC's most improved players. Consider: - He leads the ACC in blocked shots (2.10). - Scott leads the team in minutes played (29.6). - He ranks third in the ACC in field goal percentage (.613). Over his last five games Scott is shooting 70.0 percent (28-of-40). - He ranks 16th in the ACC in scoring (12.5 ppg.) and 20th in rebounding (5.4 rpg.). - Scott now ranks fifth on Wake Forest's all-time blocked shots list after passing Rod Griffin (113 blocks from 1975-78) Wednesday night. Scott has 114 career rejections. - He has scored in double figures in seven straight games and in nine of 10 games this season.
Antwan Scott This Season Last Season Minutes Per Game 29.6 16.2 Points Per Game 12.5 6.8 Rebounds Per Game 5.4 3.6 Field Goal Percentage 61.3 48.7 Blocks Per Game 2.1 1.3
Freshman Trio Making Immediate Impact For The Deacons
Wake Forest's three freshmen -- forwards Vytas Danelius and Jamaal Levy and guard Taron Downey -- are becoming more and more a part of the regular rotation. Danelius leads all non-starters in scoring (6.6 ppg.) while averaging nearly 15 minutes of action per game. He is shooting a lofty 63.4 percent from the field and 73.7 percent from the free throw line. Levy showed a glimpse of his potential last Sunday night against Florida State when he scored a career-high 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and made two three-point field goals. Levy is becoming more a part of the regular rotation after missing a week of practice earlier in the season when he returned home to Panama for a family emergency. Downey was 2-of-2 from three-point range Dec. 7 against SC State, but his biggest asset this season has been running the point guard position in a dependable fashion. He has played in every game, averaging nearly eight minutes of action.
Downtown Dawson
Senior Craig Dawson is proving to be one of the most prolific and accurate perimeter shooters in the ACC. Dawson leads Wake Forest and ranks fourth in the ACC for three-point field goals made (2.70 per game) and he is shooting 40.3 percent (27-of-67) from behind the arc, which ranks seventh in the ACC. More on Dawson: - He has made at least one three-point field goal in every game this season and he has made at least two three-pointers in every game but one. - Dawson has made three or more three-pointers in a game four times this season, 24 times in his career. - He ranks fourth in Wake Forest history with 182 career three-point field goals. - With four more three-point field goals, Dawson will rank 25th in ACC history for career three-point field goals. - Dawson ranks 22nd in the ACC in scoring (11.2 ppg.).
Deacons In National Polls For Fourth Straight Week
Wake Forest's only game last week was a 21-point victory over Florida State Sunday night, but the win wasn't good enough to move the Deacons up in the national polls. Wake, in fact, fell from 19th to 20th in the Associated Press poll and remained 20th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Wake Forest has been ranked in both polls for four consecutive weeks and the Deacons have been in the AP poll in 23 of the last 24 weeks. Using the AP poll as an indicator, Wake Forest is facing one of the nation's most difficult schedules this season. Four of the nation's top five-ranked teams -- No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Maryland, No. 3 Kansas and No. 5 Virginia -- are on the Wake Forest schedule. Three other ranked teams -- No. 14 Marquette, No. 18 Syracuse and No. 25 Cincinnati -- are on the Deacon slate. More on Wake Forest and the national polls: - The Deacons' win over No. 23 Fresno State Nov. 21 snapped an eight-game losing streak against nationally-ranked teams. Wake Forest went 2-8 against ranked teams last season. - Wake is 1-2 against ranked foes this year -- a win over No. 23 Fresno State and losses to No. 18 Syracuse and No. 4 Kansas. - Wake Forest is ranked 15th by CBS Sportsline, 22nd by The Sporting News, 33rd by CollegeRPI.com and 27th in the Sagarin ratings. - Wake's next ranked opponent will be undefeated and 14th-ranked Marquette on Dec. 29 in Lawrence Joel Coliseum. - If the rankings hold up, Wake would play consecutive games against No. 5 Virginia (Jan. 15), No. 1 Duke (Jan. 19) and No. 2 Maryland (Jan. 23).
The Skip Prosser Era In Full Swing At Wake Forest Skip Prosser, who previously served as the head coach at Loyola (MD) and Xavier, is beginning his first season at Wake Forest. His record at Wake Forest is 8-2. His career record, in nine seasons, is 173-80. Prosser comes to Winston-Salem after serving seven seasons as the head coach at Xavier, where he compiled a record of 148-65 (.695) and led the Musketeers to six postseason appearances. A 1972 graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Prosser's teams won 20 games or more six times in seven years at Xavier. He has the 18th-highest winning percentage among active Division I coaches and he helped Xavier earn one of the nation's highest graduation rates. Joining Prosser on the coaching staff are former Xavier assistants Jeff Battle and Dino Gaudio and former Musketeer players Chris Mack (assistant coach) and Pat Kelsey (director of basketball operations).
Winningest Active Division I Coaches
Rk. Coach, Current School Pct. 1. Jerry Tarkanian, Fresno State .802 2. John Kresse, Charleston .801 3. Roy Williams, Kansas .800 4. Rick Majerus, Utah .742 4. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse .742 6. Rick Pitino, Louisville .739 7. Lute Olson, Arizona .738 8. Tom Izzo, Michigan State .736 8. Bob Huggins, Cincinnati .736 10. John Chaney, Temple .734 11. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke .731 12. Nolan Richardson, Arkansas .721 13. Eddie Sutton, Oklahoma State .716 14. John Calipari, Memphis .712 15. Tubby Smith, Kentucky .711 16. Jim Calhoun, Connecticut .682 17. Mike Montgomery, Stanford .680 18. Skip Prosser, Wake Forest .679 19. Larry Eustachy, Iowa State .673 20. Billy Tubbs, TCU .672 *Entering the 2001-02 season
Prosser Has No. 1's Number
Wake Forest's Skip Prosser has coached against the nation's No. 1-ranked team three times and he has come away a winner twice. Prosser's Xavier teams beat No. 1 Cincinnati in 1999-00 and in 1996-97. His only loss to a No. 1-ranked team was an overtime decision to No. 1 Massachusetts in 1995-96. Prosser, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Maryland's Gary Williams are the only current Atlantic Coast Conference coaches to own more than one victory against a No. 1-ranked team.
Senior Class' Accomplishments Continue To Grow
With five fourth-year seniors on its roster, including four seniors in the starting lineup, Wake Forest has one of the ACC's most experienced groups. Four of Wake's top five scorers -- Darius Songaila (18.3 ppg.), Antwan Scott (13.0 ppg.), Craig Dawson (11.2 ppg.) and Broderick Hicks (8.6 ppg.) -- are all seniors. Seniors lead Wake in every statistical category except for steals, which junior Josh Howard leads. Those five seniors -- Songaila, Dawson, Hicks, Ervin Murray and Scott -- have enjoyed much success over the last four years. Consider: - Wake's senior class has appeared in postseason play every season, including an NCAA Tournament appearance last season. - Over the last four seasons, Wake Forest is a combined 66-41 (.617). - The seniors have been a part of three wins over teams ranked in the top 10. - In 2001, Wake Forest won the postseason NIT championship. - The five seniors have combined to play in 525 career games.
Career Games Played/WFU History
Rk. Player (Years) Games 1. Tim Duncan (1994-1997) 128 2. Robert O'Kelley (1998-01) 127 3. Josh Shoemaker (1998-01) 126 4. Danny Young (1981-1984) 122 Tony Rutland (1995-98) 122 6. Anthony Teachey (1981-84) 121 7. Frank Johnson (1977-81) 120 Randolph Childress (1991, 93-95) 120 9. Tyrone Bogues (1984-87) 119 Rafael Vidaurreta (1998-01) 119 11. Lee Garber (1982-85) 116 12. Trelonnie Owens (1991-94) 115 Jerry Braswell (1995-98) 115 nr. Broderick Hicks (1998- ) 106 Darius Songaila (1998- ) 105 Antwan Scott (1998- ) 104 Craig Dawson (1998- ) 103 Ervin Murray (1998- ) 102
Beating The Highly-Ranked
Over the last eight seasons, Wake Forest has defeated 12 teams ranked in the top 10. That includes wins last season over No. 3 Kansas and No. 8 Virginia.
Recent Wake Wins Vs.Top 10 Teams
Opponent Site Date Result No. 8 Virginia H Jan. 2, 2001 W, 96-73 No. 3 Kansas H Dec. 7, 2000 W, 84-53 No. 4 Maryland H Jan. 31, 1999 W, 85-72 No. 7 Clemson H Feb. 12, 1997 W, 55-49 No. 7 Maryland A Feb. 1, 1997 W, 74-69 No. 2 Clemson A Jan. 23, 1997 W, 65-62 No. 10 Duke A Jan. 11, 1997 W, 81-69 No. 7 Utah A Dec. 31, 1996 W, 70-59 No. 4 N. Carolina N March 12, 1995 W, 82-80ot No. 2 N. Carolina A Feb. 28, 1995 W, 79-70 No. 7 Maryland H Feb. 15, 1995 W, 63-54 No. 5 N. Carolina H March 2, 1994 W, 68-61
Deacon Linebacker Joins Roster
R.D. Montgomery, a 6-6, 231-pound redshirt freshman linebacker on the Deacon football team, joined Wake's basketball squad Dec. 6. Montgomery, who was a standout basketball and football player at Wilmington's Laney High School, practiced with the Deacons for the first time last Thursday. He dressed out for the Dec. 7 game against South Carolina State and promptly saw three minutes of action. He scored one point and had one rebound.
Deacons Will Face 14th-Ranked Marquette At Home Dec. 29
Wake Forest will play its fourth nationally-ranked opponent of the season Dec. 29 when the 20th-ranked Deacons host 14th-ranked Marquette at Lawrence Joel Coliseum (1 p.m./Raycom-Jefferson Pilot TV). Wake has yet to play a ranked foe at home this season. A win over No. 23 Fresno State and a loss to No. 18 Syracuse came in Madison Square Garden. The Deacs lost to No. 4 Kansas on the road. Marquette, 10-0, will face a difficult task this Saturday at Wisconsin before coming to Winston-Salem one week later.
Wake-Marquette Series History
- Wake Forest leads, 5-4. - The Deacons and Golden Eagles will meet for the first time since the 1988-89 season when Wake Forest beat Marquette, 70-67, in Winston-Salem. - Wake Forest is 2-0 all-time against Marquette at home, not including a 78-65 win over the then-Warriors in 1982-83 in Greensboro. - The Deacons are 1-2 all-time versus Marquette in Milwaukee. - Marquette beat Wake Forest in the finals of the 1977 Midwest Regional in Oklahoma City, 82-68. Coach Al McGuire's team went on to win the NCAA championship that season at The Omni in Atlanta. - The first meeting between the two teams came in the old Dixie Classic in Raleigh in 1960-61. Marquette won that game, 91-83. - Two of the nine meetings have been decided in overtime -- a 71-65 Deacon win in 1983-84 and a 68-65 WFU victory in 1981-82. - Wake Forest is 21-13 all-time against teams from Conference USA and the Deacons will host another C-USA team, Cincinnati, later this season (Feb. 9). - Wake's last meeting with a Conference USA team was a 78-72 overtime loss at Cincinnati last season. The previous meeting with a C-USA club was a 60-59 win over Louisville in the third round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament in Milwaukee. - Wake's Skip Prosser is 2-1 all-time against Marquette. His Xavier team beat Marquette at home last season, 75-59. The Musketeers split a pair of meetings with the Golden Eagles in 1999-00, including a 67-63 win in the opening round of the postseason NIT. - Marquette's Tom Crean has never coached against Wake Forest.
Miscellaneous Deacon Items
- Antwan Scott is just the sixth player in WFU history to block 100 career shots. He has 114 career rejections. - Seniors Broderick Hicks and Darius Songaila are serving as team co-captains in 2001-02. - With a 79-78 win over UNC-Wilmington on Nov. 12, Wake Forest is 69-28 all-time in season openers. The Deacons haven't lost a season opener since losing at Alaska-Anchorage in the opening round of the 1993 Great Alaska Shootout. - Wake Forest added three walk-ons to the roster in October: Alan Williams (6-3), Brett Hickman (6-6) and Walt Chancellor (6-1). On Dec. 7, football player R.D. Montgomery (6-7) was added to the roster. - In Wake's Oct. 26 Black/Gold scrimmage game, Craig Dawson canned a remarkable 11 consecutive shots, including nine from three-point range, without a miss. Dawson scored 43 points in the game.
Deacons Win For Third Straight Year In ACC/Big Ten Challenge
The ACC/Big Ten Challenge, now in its third year, has been an enjoyable event for Wake Forest. The Deacons beat Minnesota Nov. 27 to improve to 3-0 all-time in the event. In 1999-00, Wake Forest beat visiting and eventual Final Four participant Wisconsin in the inaugural event. Last year, the Deacons traveled to Ann Arbor to beat Michigan. Wake Forest and Duke are the only teams that have won three games in the Challenge.